Black’s Law Dictionary, Abridged 6th Edition, p. 1230:Public Office “Essential characteristics of a ‘public office’ are:(1) Authority conferred by law,(2) Fixed tenure of office, and(3) Power to exercise some of the sovereign functions of government.(4) Key element of such test is that “officer is carrying out a sovereign function’.(5) Essential elements to establish public position as ‘public office’ are:(a)Position must be created by Constitution, legislature, or through authority conferred by legislature.(b)Portion of sovereign power of government must be delegated to position,(c)Duties and powers must be defined, directly or implied, by legislature or through legislative authority.(d)Duties must be performed independently without control of superior power other than law, and(e)Position must have some permanency.”[Black’s Law Dictionary, Abridged 6th Edition, p. 1230]

To julian, love, your real mummy, joni-faith: of family saloom; and also dedicated to the real mommies and daddies of the real america and our children who want to come home

You learned to speak so well when you were so little. You always wanted to practice on the telephone. Mommy’s friends and Grandma Sue said how gifted you were, already. Some people couldn’t understand why Mommy never had time to talk on the phone, or even to answer the phone, when we were together. We were always together. You were always more important, and I couldn’t and never wanted to leave you for a second. I was too scared someone might kidnap you. And they did. I love you.

Grandma Sue Holding Mommy, 1978, Grove City, Pennsylvania

4 years old, Jacob really wanted to meet you. He had your picture that we sent him in the mail hanging over his Thomas the Train bed. He also loved Thomas the Train. He is just about one year younger than you. Jacob didn’t even know what a Wii or Nintendo or video games are because his mommy, like your mommy, thought they were not good for children who would naturally want to play them all the time instead of learning about other things.

MOMMY, OCTOBER 1978, GROVE CITY, PENNSYLVANIA

Shhhh, the Baby’s Sleeping.

Baby Julian Sleeping in the Beautiful Bassinet that Mummy Ordered Special for You

Baby Julian

Dear Julian, these are your maternal great-grandparents, Grandma Sue’s mommy and daddy. I thought you might enjoy knowing more about them when you got a little bigger, and are hopefully able to find this site. Can you imagine having thirteen brothers and sisters and living on a farm in Western Pennsylvania? Your Pappy “Red” did. He worked for the same steel company his entire adult life. Grandma Nancy didn’t work, but she went to college after all five of her children were grown and became a kindergarten teacher at a private Christian school. Grandma Nancy was a good wife, mother, and above all else, she was devoted to the Lord. She walked the walk. She always taught Sunday school at church. Mommy went with her on Sundays when I was little and still lived in Pennsylvania. Mommy was always at Grandma and Pappy’s house and at Grandma Mary and Puppup’s house playing and visiting. Grandma Nancy was adopted because her real mother would have had sixteen children including Grandma! Whoa!!! That is truly unbelievable to me. Back in the old days, however, having many children was very common, almost necessary, in times when a lot of people had farms and lots of chores in which the entire family shared and enjoyed the fruits of their labor. I think it would have been fun in some ways to get to take care of all the animals. You would be a great little helper, you always were. Although Grandma Nancy loved her adopted mommy and daddy, she always felt a hole in her soul that God filled because she didn’t have her real mommy. I hope she can see how wonderful you turned out! Grandma Nancy and Pappy were married for over fifty (50) years! Whoa, again! This is how life used to work, and the way things used to be for most families. They were very blessed to have found one another and to have had five healthy children who all had healthy grandchildren.

Finally, one of these things wasn’t broken!

Mommy used to love to play with Hot Wheel and Matchbox cars, and with everything Barbie and girlie when she was little. You also loved to play with Hot Wheels. I used to put them in your secret mailbox. Puppup used to have a secret drawer at his house for me, too, for whenever I would come and visit.

“Don’t get any big idea’s, Buster!” I’m only doing this to wear the pretty dress and carry the flowers. “Besides, kid, I work alone.” And I don’t smile on demand for pictures!